"I'm gonna ask Wimbledon for a raise": Djokovic jokes after towel-gate as he mops Centre Court at Wimbledon during rain delay

Novak Djokovic joked about being compensated for helping to dry the Wimbledon court.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion started his Wimbledon journey on a high note with a victory over Argentine player Pedro Cachín in the first round, winning 6-3, 6-3, 7-6(4).

The Serbian player is on a mission to defend the trophy he won in 2022, having also been the champion in the past four editions at the All England Club. During his first-round match, there was a delay after winning the first set due to rain, which caused a one-and-a-half-hour suspension of play.

Although the roof was closed on the center court after the rain started, the playing surface remained slippery at the beginning of the second set. The currently ranked world No. 2 helped the tournament staff dry the court with a towel while the staff used leaf blowers to speed up the drying process.

In a post-match interview with Tennis Channel, Djokovic mentioned that it was the first time he had difficulties because the grass court was not dry enough and jokingly mentioned asking for a raise from Wimbledon for his assistance.

"It was the first time that we had a situation where the grass wasn’t drying. So we kind of went back and forth every 10–15 minutes. I went out with my towel trying to do something. I’m gonna ask Wimbledon for a raise," Nole said.

Regarding his new journey in the tournament that he has already won seven times, Djokovic described it as a dream come true.

“It doesn’t get much better than Wimbledon, really, in terms of history and tradition,” Djokovic said

“I’ve said it many times throughout my career. Coming to Wimbledon was always the dream, to win it. A childhood dream came true in 2011 and each year I come back I kind of relive those memories and just kind of connect with that young boy that was dreaming in Serbia.”

“I try to not take any match, any minute that I spend on the court here for granted. I’m definitely blessed, so it’s a wonderful feeling to be here,” he added.

In the second round, Djokovic will face Australian player Jordan Thompson, who achieved a great victory by coming back from two sets down to defeat former Next Gen ATP player Brandon Nakashima.